SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced yesterday that 14 California hospitals have been assessed administrative penalties after it was determined the facilities’ noncompliance with licensing requirements caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury or death to patients.
The following Orange County hospitals received penalties:
Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, Mission Viejo
In the fourth such penalty for this hospital, the State found that a “foreign object” left inside a patient during surgery, and the second procedure to remove it, Constituted a risk of serious injury or death to the patient.
Mission Hospital also received two penalties in 2010. One of the 2010 penalties was for failing to provide for safe distribution and administration of medication. The reason for the other 2010 penalty was not disclosed. The 2011 penalty is $100,000.
St. Jude Medical Center, Fullerton
The hospital failed to implement policies and procedures for the safe administration of medication. This is the third administrative penalty issued to this facility. The penalty is $75,000.
St. Jude received two penalties in 2010. One was because “The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it failed to maintain the operational status of their respiratory equipment.”
In the other 2010 penalty, “the hospital did not follow its policies and procedures for on-going assessment and monitoring of a patient.”
These Administrative penalties are issued under authority granted by Health and Safety Code section 1280.1. Incidents that occurred prior to 2009 carry a fine of $25,000. New legislation took effect January 1, 2009, that increased fines for incidents that occurred in 2009 or later. Under the new provisions, an administrative penalty carries a fine of $50,000 for the first violation, $75,000 for the second, and $100,000 for the third or subsequent violation by the licensee. Incidents that occurred prior to 2009 are not counted in determining the amount of a fine.
When hospitals receive their survey findings, they are required to provide CDPH with a plan of correction to prevent future incidents. Hospitals can appeal an administrative penalty by requesting a hearing within ten (10) calendar days of notification. If a hearing is requested, the penalties must be paid if upheld following an appeal.
All hospitals in California are required to be in compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations governing general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and special hospitals. The hospitals are required to comply with these standards to ensure quality of care.
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About Dolores Barr, Publisher
Dolores Barr has lived in Rossmoor since 1992 and has created this site to provide local news for the people of Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Rossmoor, Leisure World, Sunset Beach, and Surfside, California. My husband and I have had two students graduate from the Los Alamitos Unified School District and currently our Grandson, Ricky Apodaca, grade 3 at Weaver Elementary, is actively involved in youth baseball through LAYB and youth football through FNL.
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